Nel and the Zephyr
by Nel
*whooooosh* *rustle*
Nel: I wonder where that breeze came from... I'm still in the Archives. Well, well, well. It looks like I've had a visit from westwind. Somehow he has scribed his answers to the questions on this scroll. Just HOW he has managed that will need to be asked at a later date.
1) What do you do for AE? (coder, artist, forums, support staff)
As far as the forums go, I'm the Debate Club Head Moderator and also a general enforcer. I've recently started doing some design and balance work for AdventureQuest classes, items, and quests-- which has led to me joining the Knights of Order.
2) How did you first find/get involved with AE?
I started playing AQ when I got bored during a summer internship a few years back. I got involved with the AE staff when I was invited to become an AK and from there a Moderator.
3) What keeps you interested in AQ and DF, all the Ebil Games, and the soon-to-be MechQuest?
My friends in the community, and being a part of the team.
4) Has your time in school prepared you for what you do with AE, or, if you haven't finished school, will it help you once you're done?
Educationally, not really. I graduated with a degree in Finance and Management Information Systems, the latter of which included a little programming (though it was more focused on IT project management). I've done a little C++, and then Java, but nothing in Flash... though from what I'm starting to see, ActionScript is fairly similar. Extracurricularly, I played more than a little bit of D&D (both as a player and DM), which I'm sure helps in the creative arena.
5) If you could change anything about one of the games, what would it be and why?
I miss some of the humor that used to be in AQ, though I'm doing my part to bring back some of the cheeky puns... mwahahahaha!
6) What is your favorite part about AQ/DF/Ebil Games?
Why, the stuff I'm making, of course. Other than my obligatory narcissism, though, I'm really excited about where the games are going.
7) Who is your favorite moglin and why?
Kabroz. Forget that “ebil” stuff- it's just the Diet Coke of evil. If something is worth doing it's worth doing right, and I respect Kabroz's dedication to his work.
8) Would you like to see a Sneevil vs. Zard matchup? Who would win?
Zards, easy. The Zardmaster would put out a few boxes and his forces would swarm the Sneevils while they were distracted.
Personal questions:
9) Do you have a favorite style of food? (Southern, Chinese, Italian, etc)
Not really. I love to cook, and I'll try pretty much anything.
10) If you like to read, do you have any favorite genres? What are some of your favorites books from it?
I'll read pretty much anything, though my preferred fiction genres are fantasy and scifi. I couldn't narrow down a list of favorite books to anything approaching “short,” so I'll stick to authors. The only order these are in are the order in which they catch my eye on my bookshelf. RA Heinlein, Stephen R Donaldson, JRR Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Douglas Adams, Terry Goodkind, Neal Stephenson, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, George RR Martin, HP Lovecraft, Piers Anthony, Philip Pullman, Mark Z Danielewski, William Gibson...
11) Do you play any games? Console or computer? And what?
In the limited free time I get. Consoles I have are a PS3, PS2, GameCube, and DS. Games I currently have open saves on: FF12, Odin Sphere, FF5, Etrian Odyssey, Phoenix Wright: Justice For All. I'm also better than decent at Guitar Hero... great party game. As far as computer games go, besides AQ and DF I play a few hours of Guild Wars here and there. I've played more than a little bit of Diablo II in my day, but there's really not much left for me to do with it. I also play a bunch of board games- Call of Cthulhu, Settlers of Catan, and who knows how many others. My roommate has quite the collection.
12) What are some of your hobbies? What is it about them that is attractive to you?
Other than my work here (which I count as a “hobby,” 'cause it's certainly not paying any bills) and the aforementioned video games...
I played a lot of D&D in college. Though we haven't played in quite a while due to some real-life issues, I enjoy the genre (as evidenced by my author list), the chance to hang out with my friends, the creative bits of coming up with a world or a character, and the crunchy bits of coming up with an effective and powerful character. I also go out for karaoke every few weekends, or whenever I can get together with those friends.
13) Have you completed college? What did you study? Why?
Yep. I graduated with a degree in Finance and Management Information Systems, as I mentioned above. I've also recently passed the exam to become a Certified Information Systems Auditor, and I'm interested in learning more about information security and going for my Certified Information Systems Security Professional. I studied Finance for general business knowledge and MIS due to my interest in technology.
14) Do you have any favorite sports teams? What and who?
Cleveland Indians and Cavs, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
15) Do you play any sports? If so, for how long?
I studied Tae Kwon Do when I was younger. I haven't practiced in a few years, but you don't really forget 12 years of muscle memory...
16) What kind of music do you like to listen to?
I'll listen to pretty much anything... mostly classic/modern rock and subgenres, not much country or rap.
17) Do you sing or play any instruments?
I played tuba in high school, but haven't touched one since I graduated. I sing a bit- karaoke or with my radio/iPod mostly- and I'm a fairly decent tenor, though I haven't had any formal training.
18) Do you have any pets? What?
Nope. I'm not around enough to give a pet the attention it needs.
Random/Fun questions:
19) Do you know what the Burning Daystar is? Do you see it on a regular basis?
Of course I do. I see it now and then in the mornings and evenings on my way to and from work. Sometimes at lunch.
20) Can you tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi?
Easily. Probably just from smell, even, though I've never tried.
21) What is your quest?
The grandest and most complex quest of all: life.
22) What is your opinion of the effect “American Idol” has had on the US media?
Well, I'll start off with a shocker: I've never watched the show. Not once. While on one level I approve of the schadenfreude tactic they've taken, all of the media outlets that report the latest results as “news” have lost whatever shreds of journalistic integrity they had in my eyes. Same with any of the other “celebrity gossip as news” dreck. Why should we care about these people and the latest way they screwed up their lives? (As you can see, my opinions on the US media were really high to begin with...)
